I said good call - it is an RPG/beat 'me up hybrid, after all - not good game. Along with Heroes of the Lance, Legend of Mana is one of the games that taught me to wait for reviews before making a purchase.

Of the first four "Mana" games, Legend of Mana is probably my favorite. I've always loved Final Fantasy Adventure, and SD3 is great too, but LoM just has the most endearing intangibles, for me. The story may not be exceptionally cohesive, but I don't think it needs to be, and I think it's actually better for it. The set-pieces and story threads are divine, and the writing/directing, married with the music (okay, so it's arranged, but it's still excellent in either form) makes for some marvelous scenes.

That said, I don't think it would fit into this category. Perhaps if the game only consisted of combat sequences. There are some similarities to the two Capcom D&D games, but functionally those two are, foremost, beat 'em ups, where LoM would be the inverse. The sense I get is that this category should consist of games that are, for all intents and purposes, beat 'em ups, but have some elements of A/RPGs. If that's not the case, then ignore me; That was my interpretation.

Panzer Bandit, while I don't think has any RPG styled growth mechanics, does appear to play a bit like Guardian Heroes.Also, there was an indie game I played at PAX a few years ago that was going for that Guardian Heroes/D&D Arcade feel, but I can't remember what it was called to check to see if it was ever released. It seemed to have promise, though.

There was a game recently released called Viking Squad, which plays a bit like Castle Crashers...but with vikings LOL. It has a simplified version of the lane switching mechanics from Guardian Heroes, which actually alleviates the usual hit detection problems people have with games like this. It's on PS4 and Steam

Also, I find it sad that A King's Tale was offered only as a pre order bonus for Final Fantasy XV. The game plays the way you'd expect a Final Fantasy beat em up to play. It's very tactical, much like a real Final Fantasy game. Flans require you to hit them with magic, marlboros need to be killed quickly or they'll status affect you while you're fighting other enemies, cactuars are fast and will often hit you from behind when you attack them or shoot 1000 needles at you forcing you to either dodge or deflect the needles back with your sword, behemoths are hard to attack and have a lot of health making them good targets for your limit breaks or assist attacks from your party members, etc, etc.

The game is so far removed from the repetition and button mashing that beat 'em ups are typically criticized for. I will be upset if Square never releases this game on its own as DLC or as a cheap PSN title.

Ska recently made a Dark Souls ripoff and mashed it into a 2D Metroidvania. It's called Salt and Sanctuary. It appears to be heavier on the RPG side where you put more thought into your actions and less button mashy.